Half Past Four - 2013 - Good Things

(58:50; Half Past Four)




















During the five years since the debut there had been a minor line-up change, with Kyree Vibrant (vocals), Constantin Necrasov (guitars), Dmitry Lesov (bass and Chapman stick) and Igor Kurtzman (keyboards) joined now by drummer Marcello Ciurleo for this their 2013 second album. Ciurleo is more dramatic than previous incumbent Pisanski and is more focussed on a standard drumkit although he happily bashes his way around it with abandon. Given that the debut is truly eclectic and all over the place, with the new album much the same in many ways, it would be a surprise if the one in the middle was too different from either and I am glad to say that yet again we have plenty of Zappa, Todd Rundgren, King Crimson, Cardiacs, Poisoned Electrick Head, Kate Bush, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Toyah and others, while I have seen some mention District 97 as well.

This is a band who definitely follow their own style and refuse to be pigeonholed, so if that means changing tempo during a song, or changing key, or take the music in a dramatically different fashion, or have musicians apparently playing against each other as opposed to with each other, then that is all fine as they all get to the same place at the end even if they at times appear to be following very different paths to get there. There may be some wonderfully rich, fuzzed and distorted guitar placed against electric piano and while the threads underneath are getting knotted and tangled there are the wonderful vocals over the top which are smoothing it all into place. Their use of space and melody combined with contrast is remarkable, making for an exciting and fulfilling journey throughout.

That Kyree Vibrant is not a more well-known singer and Half Past Four a major player in the prog scene is somewhat beyond me, as having now heard all three albums and the mini album, all I can say is this band is a progger’s delight and every one of their albums is a delight from beginning to end. I only hope that now I am up to date I do not have to wait too long for another new one. 

Kev Rowland, October 2025

Links:
https://halfpastfour.com/

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